Sabtu 13 Februari 2016

Sesudah Rabu Abu
Yes 58:9b-14; Mzm 86:1-2.3-4.5-6; Luk 5:27-32

“Via fides et spes - Jalan iman dan harapan”.

Itulah dua hal yang diberikan Yesus pada Lewi. Lewi sendiri adalah seorang pemungut pajak (Yun: Publicani) dari masy Yahudi, dimana hasil pajaknya akan diserahkan kepada bangsa Romawi. Dua pajak yang harus dibayarkan al: pajak kepala (tributum capitis) dan pajak tanah (tributum soli). Selain pajak utama, msh ada pajak pajak untuk barang yang memakai transportasi laut dan darat, al: pakaian-makanan-barang kerajinan dan budak.

Adapun pemungut cukai di-cap buruk karena: pajak memberatkan masyarakat; pajak itu diberikan untuk bangsa Romawi yang dianggap musuh rakyat; cara yang digunakan kerap tidak adil. 

Teks injil tentang pemungut cukai al: kisah Zakheus (Luk 19:1-10), Orang Farisi dan pemungut cukai (Luk 18:9-14) dan tentunya kisah panggilan Lewi (Mark 2:13-17) yang menjadi bacaan hari ini.

Ya, hari ini Yesus membuat Lewi semakin beriman dan berpengharapan, dengan 3 jalan, antara lain:

1.Berubah: 
Bagaimana jika seorang yang "dingin" karena dicaci dan dibenci tiba tiba "hangat" karena dipanggil dan dipilih o/Yesus? Ya, lewat “sapaan” Yesus, Lewi yang dicap sebagai “pendosa” berubah menjadi “pendoa”. Ia bangun-meninggalkan hidup lama dan mengikutiNya. Ia ber-“imitatio pro Christi”-mengikuti jejak Kristus. Bukankah tuj prapaska adalah juga perubahan? Ya, kita diajak punyai semacam “reformatio vitae”: yg sombong mjd lbh rendah hati, yg marah lbh sabar, yg malas lbh rajin, yg rakus dan tamak lbh rela berbagi - berderma, dll.

2. Berbenah: 
Lewi membereskan semua: Ia rapikan-luruskan dan persiapkan hati dengan adakan “perjamuan makan” bersama. Bukankah dg puasa dan doa, pantang dan matiraga, kita bisa sll berbenah dan ”makan bersama” Tuhan?

3. Berbuah: 
St.Agustinus berkata “P”(puasa) dan D” (doa) baru utuh kalau ada “A” (amal). Ya kalau Allah sudah “menyapa” kita, apakah kita juga mau belajar “menyapa” sesama dg berbagi amal dan kasih Tuhan secara nyata?

Lewi sendiri adalah nama Ibrani yang berarti "Matius" dalam bhs Yunani (“hadiah dari Allah”). Lewi/Matius inilah penulis Injil Matius yang kita kenal sekarang.

Jelasnya, hidupnya berbuah dan menjadi berkat bagi byk org. Bagaimana dg hidup kita sendiri?

“Cari galah di atas dahan - Bertobatlah dan ikuti Tuhan.” 

Salam HIKers,
Tuhan memberkati & Bunda merestui
Fiat Lux!@RmJostKokoh
Pin HIK: 7EDF44CE/54E255C0

NB:

1.SKI - Sekolah Kerahiman Ilahi
@ Aula SD St Theresia Jakarta
Sabtu 13 Febr 2016, 09.00 - 12.00.

2."MOSA" - "Misa Orang Sakit dan Adorasi" 
@ Gereja Robertus Cililitan Jkt
Sabtu, 13 Febr 2016, 18.00 – selesai

3."Ecclesia est peccatorum - Gereja identik dengan kaum pendosa!"

Inilah salah satu status twitter saya yang didasari keyakinan bahwa Gereja yang ada di tengah gulat-geliat dunia ini bukanlah melulu museum orang kudus tapi sekaligus rumah sakit buat para pendosa, bukan?

Hal ini juga terinspirasi ketika saya bertemu dengan Bo Sanchez, seorang aktivis Katolik dari Filipina yang mencoba untuk selalu merangkul banyak "pendosa" yang tidak tersapa oleh Gereja, yang disebutnya sebagai "unchurch people".

Adapun hari ini, orang Farisi dan ahli-ahli Taurat bersungut-sungut ketika melihat Yesus dan para muridNya makan dan minum bersama-sama dengan "unchurch", yakni pemungut cukai dan orang berdosa. Hari inilah, Yesus yang mencintai para pendosa memberi "tiga PER" atau semacam penegasan dasar, antara lain:

A."Per-jumpaan": 
Tidak seperti orang farisi dan ahli kitab yang "legalis"dan "elitis", yang sibuk menjaga jarak dengan mudah men-cap buruk orang lain, sebaliknya Yesus menjadi orang yang benar-benar suci dan berani "blusukan", berjumpa secara terbuka dengan semua orang lain tanpa banyak praduga dan curiga.

B."Per-HATIan": 
Yesus mengatakan: “Bukan orang sehat yang memerlukan tabib tapi orang sakit. Ia menegaskan bahwa kedatanganNya bukan untuk memanggil orang benar tapi orang berdosa. Ia jelas memiliki perHATIan pada para pendosa, keterlibatan dan keberpihakannya jelas yakni untuk mendatangkan keselamatan bagi para pendosa, yang kerap dicap buruk oleh dunia sekitarnya.

C."Per-tobatan": 
Kedatangan dan perjumpaanNya mengajak semua orang untuk bertobat, ber-"metanoia", berbalik dan lahir baru menjadi orang yang benar-benar baik karena diyakinkan sebagai pendosa yang dikasihi.

"Buah maja buah nangka - Jadilah Gereja yang selalu terbuka."

Tuhan memberkati + Bunda merestui. 
Fiat Lux! (@RomoJostKokoh).

4.“Confitemini Domino - Bersyukurlah kepada Tuhan!"

Alasan dari kedatangan Yesus (inkarnasi, "in-carna") adalah untuk menebus manusia:
"Redemptionis incarnatio causa est". Ia hadir dan mengalir, mengasihi dan memberikan nyawaNya sebagai tebusan bagi banyak orang. (Mrk 10:45)

Seperti Lewi/Matius yang dikasihiNya, adapun 3 sikap dasar yang bisa kita buat, antara lain:

A.Terbuka:
Yesus bersikap terbuka. Ia menyapa semua orang, bahkan orang yang dicap pendosa.
Keterbukaan tersebut bukan melulu untuk kesenangan belaka tapi untuk ikut menunjukkan jalan keselamatan kepada mereka. (Mat 9:12; Mazm 1:1).

Pada bacaan hari ini, Yesus "melihat" Lewi dan berkata "Ikutlah Aku". Adapun Lewi juga disebut Matius (Mrk. 2:14; Luk. 5:27), sedang duduk di rumah cukai di Kapernaum, yang terletak dekat jalan raya dari Damsyik ke kota-kota pelabuhan (dan oleh karena itu merupakan tempat baik u/menagih pajak atas barang dagangan yang lewat darat atau yang menyeberangi Danau Galilea). Pastinya, sapaan Yesus penuh keterbukaan ini merupakan undangan istimewa. Yesus berkenan untuk membuka hati pada orang berdosa yang menurut pandangan orang lain tidak berharga!

B.Tergerak:
Matius/Lewi tergerak untuk menanggapi sapaan Yesus. Ia berdiri dan mengikut Yesus. Tindakan ini menandai pemutusan hubungan dengan masa lalu. Ia tidak mungkin berbalik kembali karena kedudukannya akan digantikan orang dan menemukan pekerjaan baru akan sulit bagi mantan pemungut cukai. Dengan kata lain: MengikutiNya berarti siap untuk "next level”, naik tingkat untuk meninggalkan hidup lama yang kurang baik.

C.Bergerak:
Didasari sukacitanya, Lewi/Matius bergerak. Ia mengadakan jamuan makan dan mengundang semua temannya: para pemungut cukai dan pendosa, yang kerap hidupnya di-cap jelek oleh orang lain. Pastilah Lewi/Matius juga mengundang mereka dengan tujuan agar Yesus juga dapat bergerak membawa semakin banyak orang kepada keselamatanNya karena jelas bahwa setiap orang berharga di mataNya.

"Ada galah ada paku -Mari ikutlah Aku."

Salam HIKers,
Tuhan memberkati & Bunda merestui
Fiat Lux!@RmJostKokoh

5.Saturday, 13 February 
"Jesus calls sinners to follow him"

Gospel Reading: Luke 5:27-32

After this he went out, and saw a tax collector, named Levi, sitting at the tax office; and he said to him, "Follow me." And he left everything, and rose and followed him. And Levi made him a great feast in his house; and there was a large company of tax collectors and others sitting at table with them. And the Pharisees and their scribes murmured against his disciples, saying, "Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?" And Jesus answered them, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick; I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance."

Old Testament Reading: Isaiah 58:9-14

Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer; you shall cry, and he will say, Here I am. "If you take away from the midst of you the yoke, the pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness, if you pour yourself out for the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then shall your light rise in the darkness and your gloom be as the noonday. And the LORD will guide you continually, and satisfy your desire with good things, and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters fail not.

And your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt; you shall raise up the foundations of many generations; you shall be called the repairer of the breach, the restorer of streets to dwell in. "If you turn back your foot from the sabbath, from doing your pleasure on my holy day, and call the sabbath a delight and the holy day of the LORD honorable; if you honor it, not going your own ways, or seeking your own pleasure, or talking idly; then you shall take delight in the LORD, and I will make you ride upon the heights of the earth; I will feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father, for the mouth of the LORD has spoken."

Meditation

When your neighbor stumbles through sin or ignorance, do you point the finger to criticize or do you lend a helping hand to lift him or her up? The prophet Isaiah tells us that God repays each in kind. When we bless others, especially those who need spiritual as well as physical and material help, God in turn blesses us. When Jesus called a despised tax collector to be his disciple he surprised everyone including Levi (also known as Matthew). The religious leaders were especially upset with Jesus' behavior towards public sinners like Levi. People in Palestine were divided into roughly two groups: the orthodox Jews who rigidly kept the law and all its petty regulations, and the rest who didn't keep all the minute regulations. The orthodox treated the latter like second class citizens. They scrupulously avoided their company, refused to do business with them, refused to give or receive anything from them, refused to intermarry, and avoided any form of entertainment with them, including table fellowship. Jesus' association with the latter, especially with tax collectors and public sinners, shocked the sensibilities of these orthodox Jews.

When the Pharisees challenged Jesus unorthodox behavior in eating with public sinners, Jesus' defense was quite simple. A doctor doesn't need to treat healthy people - instead he goes to those who are sick. Jesus likewise sought out those in the greatest need. A true physician seeks healing of the whole person - body, mind, and spirit. Jesus came as the divine physician and good shepherd to care for his people and to restore them to wholeness of life. The orthodox were so preoccupied with their own practice of religion that they neglected to help the very people who needed the greatest care. Their religion was selfish because they didn't want to have anything to do with people not like themselves. Jesus stated his mission in unequivocal terms: I came not to call the righteous, but to call sinners. Ironically the orthodox were as needy as those they despised. All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). Do you thank the Lord for the great mercy he has shown to you? And do you seek the good of all your neighbors and show them mercy and kindness?

What does it mean to "leave all and follow the Lord"? Bede the Venerable (673-735 AD), an Anglo-Saxon monk who wrote numerous commentaries on the Scriptures, explains what it meant for Matthew and for us to "follow" as disciples of the Lord Jesus:

"By 'follow' he meant not so much the movement of feet as of the heart, the carrying out of a way of life. For one who says that he lives in Christ ought himself to walk just as he walked, not to aim at earthly things, not to pursue perishable gains, but to flee base praise, to embrace willingly the contempt of all that is worldly for the sake of heavenly glory, to do good to all, to inflict injuries upon no one in bitterness, to suffer patiently those injuries that come to oneself, to ask God’s forgiveness for those who oppress, never to seek one's own glory but always God's, and to uphold whatever helps one love heavenly things. This is what is meant by following Christ. In this way, disregarding earthly gains, Matthew attached himself to the band of followers of One who had no riches. For the Lord himself, who outwardly called Matthew by a word, inwardly bestowed upon him the gift of an invisible impulse so that he was able to follow."
Are you ready to forsake all for the Lord Jesus Christ?

"Lord Jesus, our Savior, let us now come to you: Our hearts are cold; Lord, warm them with your selfless love. Our hearts are sinful; cleanse them with your precious blood. Our hearts are weak; strengthen them with your joyous Spirit. Our hearts are empty; fill them with your divine presence. Lord Jesus, our hearts are yours; possess them always and only for yourself." (Prayer of Augustine, 354-430 A.D.)

Psalm 86:1-6

Incline your ear, O LORD, and answer me, for I 
am poor and needy. 
Preserve my life, for I am Godly; save your 
servant who trusts in you. You are my God; 
be gracious to me, O Lord, for to you do I cry all 
the day. 
Gladden the soul of your servant, for to you, O 
Lord, do I lift up my soul. 
For you, O Lord, are good and forgiving, 
abounding in steadfast love to all who call on 
you. 
Give ear, O LORD, to my prayer; hearken to my 
cry of supplication.

Daily Quote from the Early Church Fathers

"Our wound is serious, but the Physician is all-powerful. Does it seem to you so small a mercy that, while you were living in evil and sinning, he did not take away your life, but brought you to belief and forgave your sins? What I suffer is serious, but I trust the Almighty. I would despair of my mortal wound if I had not found so great a Physician." 
(Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D., excerpt from Sermon 352, 3)